I'm looking for fairly discreet motion sensors to trigger alarms in my studio when I'm not home. I don't want or need ones that constantly emit pings (radar)...but I would like ones (assuming IR) that are extremely accurate/dependable, support 800LR, and preferably have configurtable timeouts and sensitivity.
I guess it depends on your expectations re: extreme accuracy and dependability. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up for any z-wave motion sensor to meet that need.
Maybe a wired sensor installed as part of a commercial security system.
Like one of these, for example:
Hue (zigbee) is my go-to for reliable and fast motion detection. I have 2 indoor ones and 1 outdoor one - all 3 have been absolutely flawless for years now.
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I agree with the recommendation for Hue (zigbee). I also have several that have been flawless for years now. The OP should be forewarned, however, that zigbee repeaters are required for a stable Zigbee mesh. The battery powered Hue motion sensors will not function as repeaters.
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Sorry, replied to the wrong post. So to @ts1234:
I've only owned two Zwave PIR motion sensors, and those are the Fibaro multi-sensors, which apparently are not available anymore, and they are not LR. So I can't recommend anything that I have actually used.
However, I did just notice the Zooz 800 Series Z-Wave Long Range S2 Motion Sensor ZSE18 800LR on Amazon. Looks like it may fit your needs.
I’ve been very happy with my Zooz sensors.
Also, if you’re not in a rush, Inovelli is in the final steps of development of a switch with a mmWave sensor integrated. They will have a Zigbee and Z-Wave version.
How do you define "accurate"?
One thing to know with IR motion sensors is the greater the temperature difference between the object to be sensed and the ambient temperature the greater the signal (aka sensitivity). I am not aware of a PIR sensor that can compensate for this characteristic.
I have 16 Zooz ZSE18 800LR motion sensors in service at my house.
I like them, obviously.
Thanks everyone! I'm likely going with a Zooz product. I did learn a couple things reading on their site. From what I can tell they state most PIR sensors wait for two triggers before reporting. I didn't know that. One of their models doesn't if speed it a requirement. I also thought it was interesting that they mention PIR sensors actually detect better from the sides than directly in front from a line of sight perspective. Sadly, and trying to find the same comparison table again, the fastest triggering one is not an 800LR series.
Wouldn't that be a great configurable parmenter...at least inside the house where there are less false triggers from light etc...even a passing garbage truck triggers my outdoor Zooz sensors. I'm not sure if it's from reflected light...or the truck is actually large and warm enough to do so. Even car headlights outside drive me to use multiple sensors to avoid a single false trigger.
You can use the HE zone motion app to lessen false positives, but it requires at least 2 sensors
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Curious why you don't want to use mmwave sensors.
They are the most descreet because they can be totally hidden. They are also more 'accurate' because they cannot be defeated like PIR.
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I know with all the radio chatter in my house, I'm long past it...but not a fan of being bombarded all the time at close range. I have a few I use in "non-human"
Though you could set an antenna behind me and watch any one of 30 TV stations passing through me 
The actual energy is known and documented if that's a real concern. We could surface the data if that would help. If it's more an emotional choice I suppose I get it.
There is no ionizing radiation and since the energy is so low it's absorbed by the first couple millimeters if the skin. No heat even.
Cell phones are far more of a concern and we wear them in our pockets.
You can put an mmwave sensor behind sheet rock or in a box etc and it will still sense movement. This very useful. Some types can do people counting. Others can sense heart rate and breathing. Inovelli has a switch with mmwave built in. Lots of options.
100% agree. Like I said I have both and in this use case I don’t think it’s an advantage since minor motion like breathing isn’t required. My Tuya ones actually seem slower to report when replacing PIR devices… but there’s so many factors that can determine that response.
Minor motion is something you have to tune for and most off the shelf sensors don't do it well. They are great at any movement that a pir would sense.
Of course there are good ones and bad ones. Don't blame the game blame the player.
This may not be anything like what you are looking for, but If you are in the apple home ecosystem AND are using a C-8 this is the best for that situation. I thought this product is awesome. It uses thread, which is a huge battery saver. Who knows, you might have a C-8 and use Apple Home???
Lafaer LWR01 Wireless Human Presence Sensor
Thanks for the idea. I will probably give up and expand my system across multiple platforms eventually, but really trying hard to keep it all on a single platform. Apple may drive me to do so eventually since their tech is always so proprietary.
I just got a Hue OUTDOOR motion sensor.
Unfortunately, even on low sensitivity, it goes off ALL the time. It triggers dozens of times a day when I don't see anything happening.
I'm really looking for something that will only detect PEOPLE or, at least, decent sized animals. I don't need it picking up ants, shadows, a breeze, etc.
Thoughts?
It may pay to post a separate topic not in the Lounge to get more visibility.
Some info that may be useful is what model sensor you are using, how you are including it in your HE hub (paired directly or via a Hue Bridge) and what model HE hub you are using.
It may also be worth checking what firmware version you are running on the sensor. I remember I needed to update mine for some reason, which took some hours to apply.
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I used to do Hue outdoor motion.
I recall once I put a tube around the sensor-maybe a cap from a rattle can was involved, ?, I forget.
Wind blows, leaves move, motion sensor.
edit: also, maybe, electrical tape on the sensor to desensitize
